# Export configuration for .m3u file without #EXTINF
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [February 14, 2023, 5:48am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054 "2023-02-14T05:48:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@chayes](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chayes)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 5:48am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/1 "2023-02-14T05:48:46Z")
I'm trying to find an export configuration to export my selected files as an M3U playlist , but without #EXTINF references.
Can someone advise on this?
Grateful for any advice.
🙂
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 6:31am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/2 "2023-02-14T06:31:25Z")
Here is a thread with an export script for a playlist:
> [@M3U8 Playlist export (UTF-8 encoded playlists)](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/m3u8-playlist-export-utf-8-encoded-playlists/7867):
>
> Mp3tag doesn’t (yet?) have built-in support for playlists with files that have Unicode filenames. Unfortunately, the ».m3u« playlist format was an »ad-hoc« creation by Nullsoft (the former Winamp people) a long time ago, and there are no official specs. Nevertheless, the general consensus nowadays seems to be that M3U only supports the Latin-1 (ISO-8859-1) character set while the (newer) ».m3u8« format supports UTF-8 encoding. Many programs like Mp3tag will even silently try to convert UTF-enc…
As the export scripts are plain text files, you can edit the export script for your purposes, e.g. delete EXTINF
---
### Author:  [@chayes](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chayes)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 6:37am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/3 "2023-02-14T06:37:52Z")
hi
Ok thanks for getting back.
I do understand that I could go through and delete each EXTINF reference in every m3u , but with large files and over time , I thought it would be expeditious to find a neat code to avoid generating them in the first place.
🙂
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 6:42am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/4 "2023-02-14T06:42:26Z")
> [@chayes](#):
>
> generating them in the first place.
That is more or less what I meant with
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> you can edit the export script for your purposes, e.g. delete EXTINF
E.g.
```auto
$filename(m3u8,utf-8)
$loop(1)%_length_seconds%,%artist% - %title%
%_filename_rel%
$loopend()
```
Yoo edit the export script and delete the extinf there. Then you call the export script and it should generate the list.
But as such a file does not lool like a good playlist any more - what do you really want to do with the output and does this ouput really meet your requirements or is it just a first approach?
---
### Author:  [@chayes](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chayes)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/5 "2023-02-14T15:10:08Z")
Hi
Many thanks for your advice. I'm finding no joy unfortunately. I thought it would be more straightforward to generate a simple m3u with no EXTINF references. At any rate I'll keep trying.
🙂
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/6 "2023-02-14T15:36:47Z")
> [@chayes](#):
>
> generate a simple m3u with no EXTINF references
The MP3tag function to create playlists tries to follow the standard.
Your problem is no standard problem but, alas, there is an alternative function: the export.
Where do you have problems to create an export script that contains the suggested code?
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### Author:  [@chayes](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chayes)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/7 "2023-02-14T15:41:34Z")
Hi
I think it's my technical abilities , I'm afraid. I'm not sufficiently versed in coding to find a successful outcome yet. In effect , I want to generate a basic m3u file for my selected files by using the export function but I'm struggling to find a working code.
☹
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/8 "2023-02-14T15:49:28Z")
Press Ctrl+E to open the Export list.
Click on the "New" button to get a new Export script - you have to enter a name, perhaps "Simple playlist".
The windows Editor will open with a sample script - which you won't need.
So: Select all the text in editor and delete it.
Copy the following code
```auto
$filename(m3u,txt)
$loop(1)%_length_seconds%,%artist% - %title%
%_filename_ext%
$loopend()
```
and paste it into the export script editor window.
Save the script and close the editor.
Select the new export script in the list of export scripts and click OK.
The playlist will be generated from the selected files.
Check the playlist file which should be in the current work directory and see if that is the way you want it.
---
### Author:  [@Doug\_Mackie](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Doug_Mackie)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 4:01pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/9 "2023-02-14T16:01:51Z")
Simple alternative without script: use a word processor or a text editor
An MRU playlist is a text file. You most likely have a word processor that will do the job nicely with a simple find and replace all operation. Open the playlist as a Text file. Then do a Find on "#EXTINF:". Then Replace All with "". Then do a Save As to an ASCII text file . After saving, edit the file extension to \*.mru from \*.txt.
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### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/10 "2023-02-14T16:05:18Z")
@Doug_Mackie: You don't even need a word processor for this task. Every simple text editor like the free [Notepad++](https://notepad-plus-plus.org/downloads/) can do that.
Or is "word processor" a synonym for text editor?
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 4:06pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/11 "2023-02-14T16:06:22Z")
I thought that it was the purpose of this export script to avoid any further processing, as mentioned in this post:
> [@Export configuration for .m3u file without #EXTINF](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/3):
>
> hi Ok thanks for getting back. I do understand that I could go through and delete each EXTINF reference in every m3u , but with large files and over time , I thought it would be expeditious to find a neat code to avoid generating them in the first place. slight_smile
---
### Author:  [@Doug\_Mackie](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Doug_Mackie)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/12 "2023-02-14T16:07:45Z")
Good point. I should have said "word processor or text editor". I corrected my post above.
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### Author:  [@chayes](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chayes)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/13 "2023-02-14T16:27:54Z")
OK thanks for your help. It's working now , so that is very pleasing.
This is the code that runs correctly and produce the m3u with no EXTINF
```auto
$filename(m3u)
$loop(1)%_filename_ext%
$loopend()
```
Grateful for your help.
🙂
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/export-configuration-for-m3u-file-without-extinf/60054/14 "2023-03-16T16:28:04Z")
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